By DJ Dave Hoffenberg
Remember Jones brings their amazing show back to Killington and the Pickle Barrel Nightclub this Friday to kick off Mogul Challenge Weekend. Remember Jones played the K1 Base Lodge Teardown Party last March and blew me away. They made a lot of new fans that day, me included. The band made their entrance that day down a roped walkway and hit the stage, music blazing. They were shortly followed by Remember Jones himself and his co-host Stevie who’s the Ying to his Yang. It’s not just about the music, it’s a show, a big production. Their music is great to listen to and the show is fun to watch. They ended that day with Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from my Friends”. It gave me goosebumps.
It’s one of the best live shows I’ve seen. I put them in the same category as Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Remember Jones himself is a very charismatic front man who I would liken to Andy Frasco. Remember Jones website describes him as is a one-of-a-kind soul/pop singer, storyteller and bandleader with a throwback vibe and authentic energy. Often backed and supported by a large ensemble of musicians, his original music and creative, theatrical events have played to countless packed and sold-out clubs and theaters throughout the United States.
The Pickle Barrel show is one not to be missed. They’re bringing Minka, a band from Philly, to open the show. Remember Jones said they’re a smaller version of them. I listened to some of their stuff and it’s quite good. They say their mission is to make you move. I believe you’ll be moving all night from the music of both bands. Besides social media and all the music platforms, you can find the bands online at their websites: www.rememberjones.com and www.weareminka.com.
Remember Jones show is high energy from start to finish with originals and covers. They do funk, R&B, soul and pop. There’s something for everyone. Remember Jones loves playing the Pickle Barrel and is looking forward to the show. There will be 8 people up on that stage Friday night.
Remember Jones started this band in 2015 as an 8 piece band but has performed with all sizes, including a 25 piece band. He does everything for the band. He writes all the songs, picks the outfits, organizes the choreography. As I said earlier, it’s more than the music, it’s a show. When I saw them, they were decked out in pink and black, and he was wearing a bright yellow blazer. You never know what to expect. There’s online chats about what he’s going to wear on his feet. I couldn’t tell you that, but I did see two different outfits from him that day.
His biggest musical influence is Prince, who like him did it all; wrote, played and produced. His musical influences center around big, larger than life front men like Roger Daltry, Freddy Mercury, Tom Jones and Meatloaf. Another of his was Janis Joplin.
Remember Jones has a new recording out, “Haha Bitch!” which you can get on CD or vinyl. It’s a 13-track recording that features “Fat Jeans”. He used to weigh an astonishing 400 lbs. That’s surprising for me to learn after seeing him last year. About ten years ago, he lost over 200 lbs. He said the struggle to keep the weight off is challenging. He wrote “Fat Jeans” during Covid when he had to stay home. With this song, he hopes to shed a positive light on loving the skin you’re in and send a body positive message to all his fellow people who go through it.
He’s a very positive person. We had a great conversation. He loves connecting with people. He said, “We’re a family and all in this together.”
The story behind the Remember Jones name is that he shared the same name with another performer. Just to have a little fun, they even shared the same stage. He liked the “Jonesing” name plus the many Jones in the music industry like Shirley Jones, Quincy Jones, his musical influence Tom Jones. Now you have Remember Jones and you definitely will remember them.
